The Ivel Ringing Group was formed in 1990 and currently consists of half a dozen ringers and as many trainees/helpers. We operate at sites across Bedfordshire, some associated with the river Great Ouse, but concentrating on the CES sites as well as catching Mute Swans.

Sunday, 24 May 2009

Another glorious, sunny day. I suppose you'd call this 'wet scrub' - 'cos the reeds only fringe the lagoons. Today's team was the "frustrated four"! It was slow going but a good number of Sedges made up for it.

As well as the birds, between us we had - 3 foxes, several rabbits, a muntjac and a large female mink. Butterflies included Orange Tip, Common Blue, Brimstone and one of the many migrating Painted Ladies, looking drab and worn, making its way north. Moths were Treble Lines, Muslin (2), White Ermine, Green Carpet & Poplar Hawk; a cockchafer was also "trapped".

Midday saw 5 C.Buzzards overhead at one time, with one of them a v.white immature bird that peeled off seperately. Around the lagoons were breeding Coot, Tufted and Little Grebe, and later a pair of Shoveler was seen taking to the air whilst we were back at the hut.

By the end we had trapped (new/old) - Dunnock 0/2, Robin 1(juv)/1, Song Thrush 1/0, Sedge 4/4, Reed 7/1, Whitethroat 2/1, Garden W. 1/0, LTT 2(juvs)/0, Greenfinch 1/0, Bullfinch 1/0. In addition we took a tour of the (10) nest boxes and ringed 21 Blue Tit and 7 Gt. Tit pulli in three of them.

British Trust for Ornithology

Bird ringing in Britain and Ireland is organised and co-ordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).A network of over 2,500 highly trained and licensed volunteers currently ring over 850,000 birds every year. On average only one in every one hundred birds ringed is subsequently recaught elsewhere or found by a member of the public and reported.

Every report of a ringed bird is therefore of extreme value. To report a dead or colour-ringed bird, go to http://www.ring.ac .For more information about ringing in the UK and Eire, please go to http://www.bto.org/. A ringing scheme operates in every European country and most countries of the world.